Q-Cells solidifies ownership of Solibro; targets 12% efficiencies in 2010

With plans to achieve 12% conversion efficiencies and ramp a new 90MWp thin film plant next year, Q-Cells SE has decided to increase its share ownership in copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) start-up Solibro GmbH. Q-Cells said that it would increase its share from 67.5% to 100%, issuing new Q-Cells shares to pay for the transaction. Solibro will then become a wholly owned subsidiary.

"The potential of Solibro's thin-film modules lies in the combination of high efficiency ratings with extremely low costs per watt. After we successfully implemented this potential in mass production as well, Solibro became an integral component of Q-Cells' thin-film strategy," said Dr. Florian Holzapfel, member of the Executive Board of Q-Cells SE and Head of the New Technologies division.

That potential was reiterated by Q-Cells with plans to see Solibro meet or exceed 12% conversion efficiencies by the end of 2010. Importantly, this is the expected same conversion efficiencies targeted by First Solar with its CdTe cells by the end of 2010.

"Taking this step is a sign of our confidence in the technology. This way, we have the degree of freedom we need to develop Solibro into a leading global provider of thin-film technologies," added Dr. Johannes Segner, COO and Managing Director of Solibro GmbH.

Newsletter

Preview Latest Subscribe
We won't share your details - promise!

Publications

  • Photovoltaics International 14th Edition

    Photovoltaics International 14th Edition

    Published in November 2011, the 14th edition of Photovoltaics International provides a variety of technical papers from some of the industry’s stalwarts. Features include: TÜV Rheinland on junction box testing; Laser Zentrum Hannover on laser edge isolation of mc-Si cells; Calisolar on the importance of traceability; Fraunhofer ISE on EWT cells; and EPIA on Europe’s LCOE.

  • Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    This digital interactive Lite sees Tom Cheyney follow Agua Caliente’s progress on becoming one of first truly utility-scale PV power farms, where 40–50MW (AC) will be commissioned by the end of the year. We also feature one of the world’s largest silicon thin-film PV power plants, Avenal; a report on warnings of the collapse of module prices from Solarbuzz and PI-Berlin presents tips on PV module testing. A print version of this edition will be distributed at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

  • Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2011 Production Annual

    Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2011 Production Annual

    Manufacturing the Solar Future is the primary source guide for detailed information on the PV production process. This annual provides technical details on how the leading companies and research organizations worldwide are addressing this need by dramatically improving their manufacturing processes.

Partners

Acknowledgements

Solar Media